windows phone

It may finally be time that Nintendo loosens its iron-tight grip on regions and accessibility for their many ultra-popular titles, characters, and games. The first baby step in this process is the opening up of regions for Amiibo. These tiny figurines are not region locked, as was previously suspected. Now if the ultra-popularity of Activision's similar gaming enterprise, Skylanders, is any indication, we can hope, pray, cross our fingers and toes, for mobile applications of Nintendo power next - Android, iOS, Windows Phone, the works.

Back in August, Facebook messenger became obligatory. I ran a column called Yes, you DO want Facebook Messenger that many Facebook users were shockingly opposed to. But it's been barely 3 months and Facebook has already announced it: they've reached a tipping point. They already have 500 million users using - not just having downloaded - using Messenger each month. They're aiming to prove that because you do not pay money to use Facebook, you are the product - you don't have a choice in the matter. You need to download that app.

Windows Phone devices outside of the Nokia, now Microsoft, Lumia line do exist but they might as well be non-existent given the rather low profile they have. HTC and Microsoft, however, wanted to change all that and offer the platform's fans a truly high-end option. Now, the HTC One M8 with Windows edition has finally completed its US carrier round, rather quietly creeping into T-Mobile's online catalog. With HTC's admirable design and hardware, this smartphone could very well be the Windows Phone flagship, if the OS can catch up.

There are two new Lumia devices rumored to be in the works, a smaller Lumia 535 and a murkier Lumia 1330. But with the myriad, though not exactly ubiquitous, Lumias around, what makes these two devices special? If these turn out to be the real deal, the two smartphones would be the first to bear the new "Microsoft Lumia" branding being pushed by the company. And if so, we are likely to see the two of them unveiled in Microsoft's #MoreLumia event scheduled this Tuesday.

Nokia’s mobile brand is officially dead. After Microsoft bought the company, it took only months for it to decide that using the Nokia brand meant little and it could walk away from it without offending too many customers or worrying about losing market share. It was an historic moment, but it was a necessary one in Microsoft’s mind, and it was perhaps an end of era in the industry.

This morning we've caught our first full glimpse of what it'll look like to own a smartphone made by the Nokia crew under Microsoft. Microsoft of course purchased the Nokia devices business earlier this year, and just now we're seeing the first device they've released without the Nokia brand. Unlike renderings we've seen before, this brand has no "Lumia" or "by Microsoft" at all - it's just Microsoft and the Windows logo, the same logo enacted for the first time back in 2012.

The connected home doesn’t have to be limited to Android and iOS any more. SmartThings, which notes their “commitment to build an open platform for the smart home”, has officially announced their app for Windows Phone. Though aesthetically different, the Windows Phone variant of the SmartThings app mimics the functionality of its Android and iOS counterparts. The app is free to download and use, but you’ll still need some hardware. If you’re in the market for connected home products, though, SmartThings is a good option.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed on Friday that all 35,000 of the city's police officers were going to be issued smartphones as part of a $160 million technology initiative. While it wasn't officially stated, a glimpse at some of the devices, which also includes 6,000 tablets to be installed in police vehicles, seems to indicate that Windows will be operating system flavor.

Nokia Lumia is no more. Of course, that was already made known by Microsoft's French Facebook account, but you know how social networks can be so fickle-minded these days. It can't get any more official than this though. Microsoft Senior VP for Marketing for Phones Tuula Rytilä has taken to what was once Nokia Conversations to share what the branding transition will bring and what its fans can expect and continue to expect as the company rolls out the new "Microsoft Lumia".

You know what sucks, but is also really necessary? Math. All those numbers and letters jumbled up with a bunch of slashes, staring at you from some book, in a class you don’t want to take anyway. Why hasn’t someone invented tech that can do it for you?! Wait, no, they have. PhotoMath is an awesome new app that lets you hover your phone over a math problem, with the answer popping up right before your eyes. It’ll even give you step-by-step solutions!